Lineage
by Nyxelestia
Summary: Thanks to his magic, Merlin always knew he had a weird heritage that his mother did not liking talking about. What he didn't expect was to find out she was a princess of the kingdom of Dyfed - making him heir to the throne. This changed...everything.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**** Er…kinkme_merlin made me do it!**

Prompt: '_Arthur/Merlin. Merlin's mother is the daughter of the King of Demetia (Dyved, kingdom in southern Wales). When Merlin's true heritage comes to light, everything changes._'

*sighs* kinkme_merlin is going to be the death of me...

* * *

The princess looked out her window over Carmarthen, glittering with life in the dead of night, and filled with the sounds of clanking metal. The guards of the city were on high alert, as they had been for quite some time.

She almost wished she were back in Tenby again, with the sight of the beautiful ocean to calm her. It was a small town compared to Carmarthen – of course, considering Carmarthen was the capital of Dyfed – but it was peaceful, and beautiful, especially with a full moon like tonight.

She'd come home to give birth to her son, in the kingdom's capital, as was right, but she hoped to one day be able to take him there...

She heard wailing and crying from the bassinet by her bedside, and smiled. Her son was hungry, then.

"Shh," she murmured, reaching in and pulling him close to her, which calmed him, somewhat, as she stroked his silk baby's robes, and doing her absolute best to ignore his lack of heartbeat. "Quiet, now, Merlin…come on, now, I know, you're hungry…"

The acting nursemaid came in from the antechamber, and Hunith smiled and thanked her, but no, the baby prince's diaper did _not_ need changing, he just needed feeding, and she only needed her to unlace the back of her dress.

"Thank you, Sarah," Hunith said. She always believed in being kind to the commoners, including the servants and nursemaids. "You may go – I wish to feed my son in privacy."

"Of course, m'lady," Sarah said, the young maidservant curtseying out of the room.

Smiling in amusement, Hunith tugged down the shoulder of her dress and brought Merlin to her breast, and he latched on immediately, his hunger evident in his suckling.

She heard a knock at the door. "Hunith?"

"Come in, Father," she called. "But be warned, I'm feeding your grandson!"

King Rhodri was shaking his head wryly as he walked in. "_My_ grandson…I still am having trouble fully realizing this. I'm a grandfather…I'm old!"

Hunith laughed, looking down at her babe. "Not that old."

She looked up and saw the sad way her father was staring at Merlin, and sharply looked back down.

"Whatever it is, do not tell me just yet, father," she said simply.

Obligingly, the king took a seat in her chair by the fire.

"How is he?" her father asked.

"Doing…surprisingly well."

"Does he have a heartbeat yet?" he asked.

Hunith shook her head. "His blood is moving – his body is warm – but there is no pulse, and very little puffs of breath. Gaius says that he will not breathe normally until he is about a month old."

"Hm," Rhodri said. Hunith kept her eyes on her baby. "But at least he is well, however it is he _is_ well."

"Yes, father," she said, cooing at her little prince.

"What else does the physician know about cambions?" he asked, somewhat distrustfully.

"Not too much," she said. "He will likely have magic, but he won't ever be a full incubus."

"Small blessings," the king murmured, before sighing. "Perhaps the magic will one day be of use to him."

"Though if we make that part public, we can forget all ties to Camelot." she said, wisely.

"Uther has little interest in expanding his kingdom," Rhodri said, leaning back in his seat. "His focus is on protecting what is already there. We can survive without a tie to him."

"Good," Hunith said. "Because if he is magic, I dream he will never have to hide it, but can revel in his gifts."

"If they turn out to _be_ gifts," Rhodri said, before sighing. "To which end…his paternity. The fact that his father was an incubus is best kept between us. Aeron is already rather ashamed that he managed to become possessed by an incubus."

"It's not his fault," Hunith said simply.

Rhodri laughed. "I doubt that matters for his pride. Especially as he apparently planned to be loyal to that farm boy he fell in love with."

"It took me a few hours to convince him that he did not force himself on me," Hunith said, a soft, fond smile on her face.

Rhodri shook his head. "He still can't quite believe that the prince is almost his son."

"Merlin isn't," she said. "At least, according to Gaius. He looks like Aeron, but the rest comes from the incubus."

"Hopefully, though, it won't be too much else."

Hunith nodded, before looking down and noticing that Merlin was all finished. Pulling up her dress, she let it hang for a moment as she gently placed her son back in his cradle to sleep.

She jumped, slightly, at the feel of skin on her back, but relaxed as her father laced up her dress for her. "Thank you, Father."

"No need, Hunith – I had enjoyed doing this for your mother and even my sister, on occasion."

Hunith smiled. When it was just them, alone, they indulged in their moments of fancy, of being _just_ father and daughter, rather than king and princess.

Besides which, he still had bad news – she could tell – and she wanted to stall as long as possible.

When he finished, he stood back as she turned, and his hands landed on her shoulders, before suddenly pulling her close.

Sensing his need, she returned the embrace just as strongly as he.

After a while, he stood back, eyes shining, though remaining otherwise dry, as he said, "My daughter…I fear my reign is coming to an end!"

Hunith shut her eyes. "Don't say that, Father – you are Rhodri Mawr…Rhodri the Great!"

"Aye, but that is coming to an end…and, I fear…" he sighed. "Some of the more powerful lords would be unwilling to wed you…and will fear, that you have a son, and I an heir."

She swallowed. "You believe grievous harm may befall Merlin?"

Rhodri nodded, turning to the antechamber, and calling for Sarah to find a servant and have a decanter of wine and some cheese.

Turning back to her, he said, "I…you…" he sighed again. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but…do you remember your dreams of commoners as a child, m'dear?"

She nodded quickly. "I still have some of my clothes from when I would go to the markets as a commoner."

"And giving me gray hairs in the process," Rhodri said, with a fond smile on his face. "I do sincerely hope that Merlin makes you as miserable as you have made me and your mother."

Hunith laughed. "Of course, Father."

"But," he said, sobering up. "I…I _fear_ that dream may be realized. It is not a matter of _if_ you and Merlin are attacked, but when. I am getting old, and Aeron is wealthy and educated but not a warrior, and…well. I fear not for your skill – I know you would make an excellent ruler – but I fear for your _life_. I know the lords would, at best, manipulate you and everything around you to their advantage, as they are already doing with me, and at worst, kill you outright, you and Merlin both, especially as you are so young, not even of age, yet."

Hunith clutched his hands with her own, offering what little comfort she could as he talked.

"I am ailing as we speak, Hunith. I will not last long. And Roderick – there is little your uncle can do. He never once hoped for kingship, or held the idea he might one day be king. He succumbs to nobility's manipulations even now, no matter that he tries his best to weave around it. He would not be able to hold the kingdom together on his own, and with the lords as his high councilors to help, well…I fear for Dyfed, as well."

She was trembling. Merlin, her dear Merlin…only a few weeks old, he was already her everything.

"What do you mean, that…that…?"

Rhodri perched on the edge of her bed, holding his daughter, his Hunith, in his arms.

"I doubt you will ever truly become queen, or that you would be queen long if you were to become such. I cannot give you my title that our blood has promised, as king and princess. But I can give you _life_ as our blood has promised, as father and daughter."

"You…you want me to run away? Become a commoner? Are you asking me to turn my back on my people?"

She was sharp as a witch's dagger, and he shut his eyes for a moment, which did little to hide the sadness in them when they opened again. "Yes. I am…I am so sorry."

Hunith swallowed as she thought through this…

"It…it _could_ be simple enough," Rhodri continued. "The public still does not know of the child, though I admit, that might not last long. We can say the child was born of a night of drunken passion at the Samhain feast in Tenby, or, to preserve your reputation, at least, that Aeron is planning to use this fiasco to run off for the commoners' lands, anyway. We can say he had forced himself on you, somehow."

"I would prefer Merlin not be known as the son of a rapist, even if it comes at the cost to my own reputation," Hunith said, sighing and gazing at Merlin.

"I would rather you two stay here," Rhodri said, quietly. "Alas…life doesn't always turn in our favor. I can only hope that Merlin was sent to us from the gods to favor us, and this matter resolves itself with a miracle."

* * *

Within a month, the matter _was_ settled. The miracle part – not so much.

Merlin's breath was strong, though he still had no heartbeat. Sarah had already discovered this, and Hunith'd had to swear her maidservant and longtime friend to secrecy, before explaining the truth to her.

She was holding Merlin, now, with the physician, Gaius, examining the infant, as he did daily.

Her father was here, as well, in her rooms which had been her home for so long, and which she may never see again once she left.

"He is doing well," Gaius proclaimed. "I do not know how long until he has a heartbeat, but his blood does move. Some records hold it likely at months, some hold it as years." He paused in thought, while Hunith pondered over the thought of it being _years_ before Merlin had a heartbeat. "You say his breath goes weaker right before feeding?"

"Yes," she said. "His breath is strong and steady after feeding, though."

"Hm…" Gaius checked some book again (he had a _lot_ of books, which Hunith loved going through), before saying, "I suspect, then, that when Merlin eats on his own and finishes feeding from you, he will gain a heartbeat. The disparity between women's ending points for feeding with their own milk would explain the disparity between ages a heartbeat appears."

Hunith nodded silently as Sarah gave Merlin back to her.

"Thank you," King Rhodri said. To Sarah, he said, "I need to have a word in private with my daughter and the physician."

Nodding and curtseying, slightly, she quickly gathered up the plates from the small lunch and scurried out of the room.

Rhodri sighed once the door was closed.

"Gaius," he said, carefully. "Where do you intend to travel, next?" he asked.

"Likely back to Camelot, soon, to return to the service of King Uther. May I ask why, your highness?"

"Is there any way you can facilitate my daughter's travel to Northumbria?"

"Why?" Gaius asked, confused in his role, and her reason.

"Fleeing," Hunith said. "The Mawr rule ends with my father. My son and I will live out our lives amongst the farming villages."

Gaius's eyes widened, and Hunith couldn't agree more.

"You will leave with the traveling physician when he leaves," Rhodri said to her. "Gaius is already like a brother for you, anyway."

She smiled, as her father started explaining.

"Lord Aeron Aurelianus is planning to run off with the love of his life – a young farm boy. Normally, I would do quite a bit in my power to stop him, but…I made a deal with him. I will let him run, and make sure there is no one truly behind him, if he will let me use him in our story, at the cost of his reputation."

"What will it be?" Gaius asked, carefully.

"You never did give the details," Hunith chipped in.

"You and Aeron met and fell in love at first sight," Rhodri said, addressing her. "You two were delighted to learn of the pregnancy, and wanted to essentially surprise the kingdom, gift it with an heir. Then you had to conceal it, because of all the political stormfire, and fear for your lives. As you two were already planning to wed and had already done a private handfasting ceremony, Merlin was born as not a bastard child, not entirely. Everything was going well. But, in light hiding, he fell out of love with you and _in_ love with the farm boy, and ran off with him, leaving you with the child."

Hunith nodded. "If we weren't running off…Merlin would get Lord Aeron's estate?"

"Yes. As it is, it will become the public property of the Crown with his abandoning it, so Merlin would inherit it, either way. Lord Aurelianus has no siblings, no heirs, and Ambrosius has his own estate to manage, and so has no interest or obligation in taking over his son's…Aeron is willing to give it up for the closest thing to a son he has."

Hunith swallowed and nodded. "Thank the lord," she murmured, semi-jokingly and semi-serious.

"I will…" Gaius paused. "I will look into the best villages for the princess and prince to live in."

"No – you will be looking for the best places for Hunith and Merlin," Hunith said. "We will be royalty no more.

Even as she said that, she choked over her words, and looked down at her babe, again, and knew that despite the fact he would not be the Prince of Dyfed, he would always be a prince in her heart. The prince _of_ her heart.

There were some things which even royal blood could not touch.

Rhodri took a sharp breath, before saying, "Wait one moment," to her and her alone, and leaving. Gaius continued describing the details of how the little princeling – no, Merlin, just Merlin – would fare, and after Gaius has left and she laid her baby down in his crib, her father returned, holding two of his neckerchiefs in his hand.

"Father…?" she asked, confused. They were his favorites – the simple but well colored ones, one red and one blue, rather large, but soft to the touch. Hunith often imagine they would feel like clouds.

He handed her the blue one, first. "For what I cannot give you…Dyfed," he said, simply, as blue and gold were her kingdom's colors. Then he handed her the red one. "Our blood, our hearts. For what it is I _can_ give you."

"But…father…they are your favorites…"

"And I gladly pass them on to you," he said. "And I hope one day, you will pass them on to Merlin. This…once you leave, this will be the only royal garb you will ever wear again."

Her throat tightened as the wind left her, as suddenly, she realized…she could never come back. She would never again wear the fine clothing, never again walk the halls of her home, and never again see her father.

Hunith's world would truly reside in Merlin.

Sobbing, she dropped the accessories on the table and ran forward, clutching her father's tunic and sobbing into his chest, his strong warms circling around her and pulling her close.

"I am going to miss you, Father," she said.

"And I you, my daughter," he said. "But my heart will always be with you. Always."

* * *

"Are you comfortable, your highness?" Gaius asked her as they quietly left the city in the morning, when people would be least suspicious of travelers.

"Please," Hunith said. "I am just Hunith, now. And yes, I'm fine. I _have_ worn commoner's clothes, before – I used to all the time, in fact."

Gaius smiled at her, before turning back and giving the reins another flip, and looking up. "Hopefully, it shan't rain, today."

Hunith smiled up at the sky. Cloudy, but not too much. "I think we will be fine."

"Just in case, I have a few heavy blankets I will rub with oil for you and the little one."

"Thank you, Gaius," she said. "You take such great care of me, and you barely even know me."

"I could say the same for you, your high-Hunith," he said. "You barely knew me and yet welcomed me with open arms into your palace."

Hunith swallowed and nodded. "So your travels are to an end?"

"Yes."

"Because of the persecution of magic in Camelot?" she asked. "I am much sharper than I appear – you left when the persecution started, and it has just recently ended, or at least the worst of it…"

Gaius sighed. "The last mercy of King Uther upon a sorcerer was sending me away during this time, to get rid of my magical texts and learn about more healing methods, to compensate for me now having to forgo magic."

Hunith sighed. "Pity. Camelot has always sounded like a beautiful city."

"You _can_ still go, milady."

"With a cambion for a child? I think not."

"He will likely soon be breathing normally with a pulse to match," Gaius said.

Hunith shook her head. "I want him somewhere safe."

She looked down at the precious bundle in her arms, wrapped in the neckerchiefs and a blanket, sleeping peacefully for all the movement. He was her world, now, truly and utterly, and she would give her life for him…it was the only thing she could give, and she had already done.

* * *

"Really, Merlin, I'm fine, now-"

"Mother-"

"Merlin!" she said, half lightheartedly and half seriously, setting down her tea on her son's bedside table and shaking her head. "I'm more worried about you."

"Me? I'm fine!"

Taking in his soaked clothes, pale skin, trembling – despite the warmth – and his haunted eyes, she gave him a rather pointed look. "I _am_ getting better, you know. I may have been severely ill, but it was just an illness…"

She saw the look on his face. "It…wasn't…just an illness?" she asked.

"Magic," Merlin said. "Deep, complex magic. I'm…I'm so sorry you got caught up in it. It was never meant to be you, but this sorceress Nimueh changed everything and with this entire Questing Beast business, I couldn't really-"

"Merlin," Hunith said, carefully, bringing her hand up to stroke his face. "Whatever it is, I am here now, and so is Prince Arthur, who is healing rather admirably if everything Guinevere tells me is true."

Her son sighed. "Yea, yea…just get some rest, will you, Mother? This magic is…just get some rest."

"And _you_ get into some dry clothes," she said. "And stop slouching!"

His shoulders straightened immediately, and she ignored Gaius's amused voice in the back of her head jokingly-reprimanding her about still raising her son like a noble – like a prince. "Sorry – habit of a servant."

She sighed. "Yes, well, around me, you are my son, not my servant."

Merlin nodded, looking down at the sheets again.

"Have you…" Hunith trailed off. "Have you told Arthur about your magic, yet?"

"No," Merlin said. "And considering Arthur's latest wound is purely of magic, I think now is not the best time."

"His cure is also of magic. He is sharper than he appears, Merlin. It benefits a child of royalty to appear a dimwit until they actually ascend the throne. I told you this. And there was a reason I taught you to read."

Merlin smiled, and said, "I always did say you taught me more than nobles taught their children."

"Excuse me for wanting to have a well educated son!" she said, her barb completely bite-less. They both smiled, before Merlin's face became more forlorn.

"But no, Mother – I haven't. I can't."

Hunith sighed.

"Please…just consider it."

Before Merlin could say another word, Gaius bustled into the room.

"Arthur is requesting you, Merlin," Gaius said, sternly, and Merlin smiled sadly, exhausted, and Hunith wants to ask why it was her son and Gaius left so abruptly, yesterday, and why Gaius was tired, and why he was dry and Merlin was not, but Merlin is gone in a flash before she can ask, only giving her a look that said, _yes_, he _would_ consider it.

She turned to Gaius, who can read her questions and sighs, taking Merlin's seat in the chair by her bed. "It _is_ magic – but magic you are best to not know of. Merlin has been through a hard ordeal, one he is still recovering from."

"Where was he, last night, when you two…came back?" she asked.

"I do not know, but I suspect outside. Of course your idiotic son had to go out in the middle of the rain at night, but I believe he will be fine. He's a creature of magic, and nature will always calm him."

"It always did," she said, looking at her son through the door to Gaius's main chambers, watching as he remembered to walk straight as she taught him ("Don't let the world trample over you, Merlin."), and he gathered herbs and bandages, and with a few whispered words and the all too familiar and all too alien flash of his eyes, he was dry. He slumped his shoulders in a purposeful way, and Hunith couldn't help but call, "Merlin?"

He turned back and smiled, and more and more these days, she marveled at how much like his human father he looked like. "Yea?"

"Please…consider it, at least," she said.

Merlin's smile became a big, dopey grin, one which most definitely came from _her_ side of the family. Possibly Uncle Roderick. Or Father, on his rare, carefree days.

Or maybe it was just Merlin being Merlin.

"Of course, Mother," he said, before turning on his heels and leaving. Hopefully, by tonight, there would be one more person who would know of Merlin's magic.

And one more person to help him through his trials, whatever they were.

Gaius shook his head, and started sprinkling the powdered herbs into her tea.

"My son," she murmured, looking around her. Being in this castle, in Camelot, always made her think back to her own days as royalty.

"He is truly extraordinary," Gaius said.

"You would think, after almost two decades…" she sighed. "I'm back in a castle, and…I still wonder, now and then, how he would fare, as prince."

Gaius smiled. "I suspect he would be a little rash, but he could make a good leader, more so during the peace of Dyfed than war. He would be a fair man. He usually is – and he's certainly never let trivial things like rank stop him. He stands up to Arthur on a regular basis and he is only a servant. As a prince…"

She smiled. "I raised him to be strong. Just. Fair. All the best qualities of a young man."

"Or a prince?" Gaius asked, eyebrow raised.

"Not _everything_," she huffed. "I taught him how to be a good man. If many of those qualities are those commonly befitting royalty…well, there is a reason the standards of royalty are high."

Gaius rolled his eyes and opened a jar of paste, and started gently spreading it across her pustules. "May have done it a bit too well – he's been known to spend days in the stocks at a time when his insubordination gets the best of him."

"Aye, but he is strong," she said, looking out the door, again, even though Gaius's work chambers were empty.

She sighed, and Gaius said, "Hunith…I know you have Ealdor to worry about, but please do stay a while after you recover. Merlin has been through a lot, lately. He has the comfort of friends and he has come to truly see me as an uncle, possibly a father. But the comfort of a mother is something that cannot be replaced."

Sighing, Hunith said, "Do you think it selfish that I want to bring Merlin back to Ealdor with me? Where life is simple?"

Gaius smiled and shook his head. "Can the farmers spare you?"

She nodded. "They should."

Her brother in all but blood nodded. "Good. Stay a while…maybe you could get some work, here? I know the crops were bad – you could save up some wages to take home."

She gave him and odd look. "Just like that?"

"Despite how frustrating Merlin likely is for Arthur," Gaius said. "The two are close. Not to mention Morgana's sway on the serving staff as a whole. A few words from those two, together, and yes – just like that."

She blinked, because when she had first fallen ill, beyond her capability to heal herself, and come seeking Gaius…she most definitely hadn't planned to stay, and yet, here he was-

She look at his face, again, as he looked out the door Merlin had left through shortly beforehand.

"Gaius…what happened to my son?"

The man sighed. "Power. He…he no longer knows just what his limits are, and I believe that terrifies him. He demonstrated, just days ago, power almost beyond imagination. Power like that of a force of nature." A pause. "From what he told me…he commanded a _storm_, and took the power of life and death in his own hands."

She paled. "He…he what? What does that mean? What did he-"

"Quiet, Hunith," Gaius said, smiling, pushing her tea towards her. "The Questing Beast was dangerous. And only the raw magic of the Old Religion can reverse its bite and its fate – death. But there is a balance to be kept, a life for a life. And Merlin intended it to be his for Arthur's."

She gasped, her hand flying to her heart. "You're right…I did raise him too nobly."

Gaius chuckled. "But it wasn't Merlin's life that was taken – it was yours. Merlin and I…well, there were many trades being offered. Ultimately, Merlin took matters into his own hands and killed the sorceress behind this – Nimueh."

She swallowed. "He…he killed? I mean…at Ealdor, with the raiders, I've seen…but this…"

Gaius's lips and eyebrows quirked. "He would do anything for Arthur."

She thought back again to Ealdor, and the raiders. "And it sounds like the feeling is mutual."

The physician laughed outright at that. "For all their bickering and fighting and whatnot, yes, they would. They have thrown their lives before each other's without a second thought, and doubt that will ever end."

Leaning back in her bed, she murmured, "My baby…at least someone is looking out for him."

"So will you stay?" Gaius asked. "Your son _needs_ you, Hunith."

She paused in thought.

"Well…I might as well help you teach him Latin, if nothing else. I've certainly taught him everything else."

Gaius grinned. "I am glad to hear it, Hunith. And if we could ever tear a confession of such from Merlin, I'm sure he would be happy to hear it, too."

Shaking her head, she said, "Fine, Gaius, you win…Now, where's that tea?"

* * *

**A/N:**** Posting schedule will be more erratic on this one (it was thought up rather on the spot).  
**


	2. A Season's Pass

_**Chapter 01 A Season**__**'**__**s Pass**_

**A/N of Doom:** So, something I realized I forgot to mention in the Author's Note of the prologue, namely **why I used Carmarthen as the capital of Dyfed, and Merlin****'****s birthplace**: Merlin's Welsh name _Myrddin_ is usually attributed to being a mistaken derivation of _Moridunum _ – the Roman name for Carmarthen, or rather, the Roman fort there. As such, _Carmarthen_ (by its Welsh name, not the Roman one) is often attributed as _Mryddin__'__s_ birthplace – who, of course, later evolved into Merlin. ^_^

Yeah, I have a bad habit of sneaking in random references to the original legends into my fics. ^_^

Anyway!

**There are mentions to my one-shots Flames, and Bareback. You can go through without reading those two fics, but it would make a lot more sense if you **_**did**_** read them.**

Also, **note on archery and its equipment**: **crossbows** – _which Arthur is seen using_ – were used by soldiers because they were easy to learn how to use and aim with, even though they couldn't fire many arrows at once, and didn't have much force behind them. **Shortbows** had more force behind them, and can fire more arrows in the same span of time in the hands of an expert. And **longbows**…well, didn't really exist in Europe at the time, but as anachronistic as the show can be stretched…you couldn't fire as many arrows so fast out of a longbow, but they had enough force to pierce armor.

In other words, Arthur is apparently a terrible archer in canon. ^_^ Anyone else absolutely love that?

* * *

"Merlin!" Arthur said, voice hushed as they watched the creature feast on its stolen bounty of cattle. "What _is_ that thing?"

A few of the knights turned their heads from their spots on the ridge and drew closer as Merlin said, "A basilisk. If you look directly into its eyes, it can kill you."

"So how do _we_ kill _it_?" Kay asked.

"Er…" Merlin wasn't about to tell them the magical way, so he said, "I'm pretty sure it can be killed by normal weapons, but it's hard to get close to the thing in the first place. We have to shoot the eyes, first, and you would be best aiming _from_ the neck – its poison is ridiculously lethal, so that would be the safest place to be."

"Can you tell the best place to hit the damn thing?" Arthur said. "To kill it?"

"My best guess would be the center of the top of its head – between the eyes and a bit above it. Direct blow down, though, another strike a bit further up, towards the neck, wouldn't be a bad idea…"

"So what are we doing, exactly?" Kay asked, looking between Merlin and Arthur.

"Get in close, and wait for me to shoot its eyes out, both of them – I'll be using a flaming arrow," Merlin said. "When it's blind, get towards the neck, then attack the head from there. You'll need two men for the sword, or spear, to get it through the skull, maybe three."

The men nodded, and Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin yet again giving orders without realizing it, but nodded towards them, telling them, "Fan out across the edges, and wait until my signal – we will attack with one quick strike."

Nodding, they quickly obeyed and left the ridge, slowly circling around it towards the other sides, encircling the unaware beast.

"…and the magic?" Arthur asked after a moment, when they were out of anyone else's earshot.

"It can be killed without magic," Merlin said, still peering at the thing. "It's just a _lot_ harder without magic than with magic."

Arthur nodded, and unsheathed his sword quietly, as Merlin pulled off and strung his bow, lined up an arrow, and with a whispered word, lit the end on fire.

"I still say you're using magic to shoot," Arthur murmured towards the bow as he eyed the basilisk carefully.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He'd long since given up trying to convince Arthur solidly that his good aim came naturally – though he admitted he had no idea how – and that he didn't use magic.

Arthur brought up his hand in _ready_ motion, and Merlin raised the bow in anticipation, squinting only slightly against the smoke from the flames blowing into his eyes.

Arthur's hand swung down, and he released the arrow – and it landed straight into the basilisk's eye.

The beast screeched supernaturally as its eye was burned out of its socket, and Merlin felt a pang of sympathy for the thing, but remembering the ruins of the village it had terrorized strengthened his resolve.

Another shot, and the beast was blind.

"This can go much faster, and safer, with magic," Merlin hissed as Arthur prepared the more direct attack.

"If it doesn't _need_ magic, I won't use it!" Arthur said. "You know this."

Rolling his eyes, Merlin stepped back as Arthur charged, and in the mean time, fell back behind the ridge, hiding from sight as he pulled another arrow from his quiver and lit the tip with fire.

He kneeled on the top of the ridge again, and at Arthur's cry of, "Merlin, _now_!" he fired, and watched in morbid satisfaction as it hit the beast's underbelly, flames spreading quickly along the long line of its body.

After that, it was almost pitifully easy for the knights to kill the beast.

* * *

"How did it go?"

Merlin and Arthur looked up and Merlin rolled his eyes as Arthur said, "Hello, Hunith. Went well – big, dead _snake_ carcass-"

"Which still gave Arthur three broken ribs," Merlin said, pushing Arthur down on the patients' cot as his mother, carrying the week's laundry, closed the door soundly behind them.

He pulled off the bow and quiver and was already turning towards the basket of ready bandages as the bow and quiver floated to his room, while Arthur's shirt was helpfully pulling itself off the prat as Merlin collected the poppy seed extract, rosemary, and Solomon's seal for the ribs.

Already steeping the poppy for a painkilling tincture, Merlin started crushing the rosemary and the seal, separately, as Arthur said, "We still killed the thing!"

"Thanks to _me_," Merlin said, as Hunith started cleaning the blood off Arthur.

"How on earth did you kill a basilisk?" Hunith asked, looking over Arthur's wounds worriedly. "And these ribs-"

"Will be fine," Arthur said, holding his arms away helpfully.

The process sped up by magic, Merlin mixed the powdered rosemary with magically warmed water as he said, "Yea, _also_ thanks to me!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as Merlin glared.

Turning back, he used the rosemary mixture to create a paste with the crushed seal, and had small bowl of it ready as his mother finished cleaning up the wounds.

"Well. Merlin. Sire," she said. "Good luck to you both – and Merlin, do _not_ be late coming back, tonight. I have managed to borrow a copy of the Twelve Tables in Latin from Geoffrey, and we are going to practice, together."

"Yes, Mother," Merlin said, long suffering, ignoring Arthur's smirk as he spread the healing paste over the wounds.

As she left, Arthur said, "Latin going well, then?"

Merlin nodded, before muttering, "_Thurhhaele_" as he carefully massaged the paste into the wounds. Arthur hissed as Merlin healed the wounds, magically, and both of them winced at the sound of bone setting itself correctly, but Merlin smiled at the results as he started wrapping the bandages around Arthur's chest.

"There," he said. "That should leave you with no more than some bad bruising by tonight. Any pain?"

"No," Arthur said, before smirking and saying, "Need some help with your Latin?"

"_No_, thank you," Merlin grumbled. He was really starting to regret agreeing to _actually_ becoming Gaius's apprentice in medicine. The man was insisting on educating Merlin in apparently _everything_, and his mother was apparently a sadist, not only agreeing to help, but having completely taken over and now expanding it _well_ beyond simple medicine.

Mothers. Bloody nutters, the lot of them.

One day...

Arthur was still smirking, basking in his noble – _royal_ – education which required Latin for no apparent reason.

"I don't see what you're complaining out," Arthur said, as Merlin quickly checked over the dressings and bandages. "You can use magic to absorb languages like a _sponge_. I had to spend years on Latin before I could understand it – you've only been at it for a few months. Do you have any idea how useful a skill like that could be for me?"

"You would just use it to learn Gaulish to see if visiting Frankish royalty were really talking about you when they said they weren't," Merlin scoffed, satisfied with Arthur's bandages and reaching for the git's shirt.

"If I did, you'd learn it too," Arthur said, before catching Merlin's wrist. "If only to know who's food to spike to cause minor dysentery when they leered at my _delectable_ behind."

Merlin glared as long as he could, before relenting under Arthur's amused gaze. "Fine, fine, you have a point. Better neither of us learn Gaulish, then. If that Thuringian princess _does_ want to bed you and have your heirs and become your wife or whatever it is she yaps about, I suppose I best not know."

Arthur laughed. "You mean Radegund? Please, she's not the kind of girl to do that. Besides which, she's of the New Religion-"

"I've noticed," Merlin muttered darkly, faintly trying to pull his wrist out of Arthur's grasp and failing.

"-so she wouldn't want to fuck me until _after_ we get married. And if she finds out about us, well…I'm pretty sure she's strict enough to care."

"Huh?" Merlin asked.

"New Religion – in some places, it does not endorse love or marriage between those of the same gender."

"Why?"

"I have _no_ idea," Arthur said. "Something in the Book of Genesis, I think, or maybe it's Leviticus. Sodom and Gomorrah, wherever they are."

"I think that's Genesis."

"You've read it?" Arthur asked, letting go of Merlin's wrist, taking his shirt, but not putting it on.

Merlin shrugged. "My mother had a lot of books, when I was little – I don't really know where she got them. She was heartbroken when she had to send them to Gaius for safekeeping."

He looked over the bookshelf on the balcony, designated by Gaius to hold all of _her_ books. It had been his place of comfort when he first got to Camelot, recognizing many of them from his youth. "I think Gaius may have used them to bribe her to stay – I'm not sure."

Arthur laughed, curling his hand around Merlin's upper arm as he tugged Merlin towards the spare room. "C'mon – Camelot doesn't care about us, the priest doesn't care about us, my father pretty much approves since you can't threaten me with bastard children…even your _mother_ approves."

And Merlin blushed furiously at that, even as he locked the door behind him, remembering when he and Arthur had been snogging, half naked on Merlin's bed, when his mother had wandered into his room. Instead of being a normal mother and spluttering and demanding Merlin get dressed, _no_, she had to grin at them and say, "About time," and wander back out, shut the door, and yell at them to lock the door next time.

"You're _never_ living that down, are you?" Merlin moaned, even as he pulled off his own tunic, before dropping to his knees and pulling at the laces of Arthur's trousers. He smirked, seeing the prat was already hard.

He _really_ got too much of a kick out of Merlin dressing and undressing him.

Arthur started to say something, but Merlin stroked his fingers deftly over the bulge of flesh he found after undoing the laces, and Arthur groaned and backed up further to collapse on the bed, lifting his hips for Merlin to pull off the trousers, leaving him completely naked as Merlin chucked off his own breeches, before clambering onto the bed, atop Arthur.

A considerable amount of time later found Merlin and Arthur collapsing onto the bed after a round of wonderful, wonderful orgasms.

"Aren't you glad I got you these linens?" Arthur asked with a smirk as Merlin slid bonelessly beside the other man.

Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur's words. "Please – you getting me these have nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with you wanting to 'keep' me."

Arthur scoffed, to which end Merlin's eyes flashed and the custom-made bow and quiver started floating around.

"You just needed to defend yourself, with the weapon you're best at."

They settled down, only for the second, slimmer book of magic to float up.

It seemed Gaius wasn't the only one in Camelot to harbor illicit keepsakes, though where Arthur found this one was completely beyond Merlin.

"To defend _me_," Arthur scoffed.

It floated down, and now Merlin's new boots and certain articles of his wardrobe were dancing around in the air. Merlin, upon learning how much dancing clothes annoyed Arthur, made sure to do this at every opportunity.

"Well I can't very well have my own manservant looking as you did, now can I? You were looking like I never paid you at all!"

One of the shirts hit Arthur squarely in the face, and he promptly yelled, "Assaulting the prince!"

Merlin scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Face it, Arthur – you like taking care of me, buying me stupid gifts and-"

"_Stupid_ gifts? Clearly, I've been spoiling you-"

"Well that's not _my_ fault that this is the only way you could find to keep me as your own, what with how utterly possessive as you and how stupidly you-"

Merlin smirked as he found himself on his back, Arthur growling almost ferally as he pinned Merlin down by the wrists and hips using his hands and knees.

"Fine," he said, mock-glaring. "Either way, everyone gets to know you're _mine_."

"…you're the only one who knows that those gifts are to 'keep' me like some bloody mistress. Most people think Morgana's tupping me!" Merlin said. He smiled gently as he added, "Though with all the rumors about us flying around, I'm sure they think we're part of some orgy of rampant debauchery-"

"They'll find out, one day," Arthur assured before leaning down to capture Merlin's lips with his own.

Merlin laughed into Arthur's mouth. "Oh, please, Arthur – I was always yours."

"Good," Arthur said, before pulling himself close to Merlin again.

* * *

"Strike left! I said left!"

Merlin arched the sword towards the left at the last second, only barely fast enough to block Arthur's next blow. However, he was still following its momentum when Arthur swung again, and Merlin was grateful for the dulling of the blade and the padding of the practice armor as it struck across his arm.

"OW!"

Arthur just glared as Merlin stepped back and rubbed at his poor, abused arm. "What was that for?!"

"I. Said. Left!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Are you done with your near-daily abusing me ritual?"

"No," Arthur said flatly. "You know exactly what I-"

"I'm not using magic in a bloody sword fight when you're just beating me up to let off steam," Merlin said, exasperated. "Now, if you want legitimate training and can't get a knight-"

"Merlin!" Arthur said. "You need to know how to use a sword, and if it happens to be with your magic, that's just fine by me."

Another eye roll, and Arthur threw his hands up in the air in frustration as he started heading back for the castle. "You refuse to use magic for swords and yet with archery-"

"That's _entirely_ my own skill! You said so, yourself, my eyes are never gold with archery. Stop being jealous that I can use a longbow while you can still barely aim with a bloody _cross_bow-"

"That has absolutely nothing to do with it."

"Nothing to do with it, my arse."

"_My_ arse," Arthur growled, with a sharp pat to Merlin's rear to emphasize the point. The warlock yelped and whirled around to find Arthur gripping his arm as he dragged Merlin back home.

Near to the castle as they were, they dropped all mentions of magic.

But that was about it.

"Really, Arthur, are you just ticked that I'm better with archery as your almost-mistress or because I'm your servant or because-"

"Swordsmanship has nothing to do with archery!"

"Then what the hell are we arguing about?"

Arthur growled, and just led Merlin inside, again. "Come on – if you're not going to cooperate in practice-"

"-you mean cheat for your own masochistic pleasure-"

"-then I might as well have a good lie-in. Father's giving a formal announcement, tonight, and I have to bloody _be_ there."

"Mm-hmm," Merlin said, but keeping quiet and letting Arthur rant all the way back to his chambers.

As soon as the door was closed, Merlin helped Arthur off with his practice armor – he preferred to do this bit by hand – and magicked him into softer in-castle wear, while Merlin just spelled his own clothes clean before he and Arthur collapsed onto the bed. While Arthur shifted around to make himself comfortable, Merlin set-about healing all the bruises Arthur had left over from practice. Again.

He made a show of it, too. Always got Arthur to look guilty, which made him pout, which made Merlin, well…

He had good reason to make show of it.

As Arthur huffed and rolled his eyes, Merlin smirked and with a flick of his fingers, had an apple and some grapes floating over from Arthur's fruit tray. Both fruit floating in the air, one the grapes broke off and landed in Arthur's mouth while Merlin grabbed his apple by hand and bit into it.

"What happened to the lie-in?" Merlin asked a few minutes later, sarcasm and amusement tinting his voice.

"I have this annoying manservant distracting me with fruit," Arthur said, before biting into the next one, then smirking at Merlin. "You know, the Romans used to considering being hand-fed grapes a sign of royalty. Usually, it was by slaves."

Merlin dropped the grapes on Arthur's face as he said, "You certainly _treat_ me like a slave, half the time!"

"And those gifts you were just complaining about yesterday?"

"That's the _other_ half, where you treat me like your _sex_ slave," Merlin scoffed, taking another bite of his apple while Arthur picked up a grape and popped it into his mouth by hand while rolling his eyes. "Or worse – your _mistress_."

Arthur laughed. "Of course you would consider being a mistress worse than a carnal slave."

"Not like there's much of a difference," Merlin muttered under his breath.

Arthur laughed.

"So what's this announcement thing going to be?" Merlin asked.

"King Roderick, of Dyfed, is going to be arriving within the week to re-establish the army exchange treaty," Arthur said.

"Army exchange treaty?" Merlin asked, confused. He made it a point to keep up to date on Camelot's legal precedents – mostly so Arthur could have someone to talk to when need be – but he didn't remember this.

"It was long before you came here," Arthur said. "A few years back, come to think of it. Anyway, his army's in shoddy shape, and when his war with Gwent, he needed some of our troops to help him. We got some handy trading tariffs eased in exchange."

Merlin nodded. "What's wrong with his army, then?"

"He doesn't command them well," Arthur said, wrapping his lips around another grape Merlin levitated into his mouth. "He has a good heart, but he's not a great king. He was a low noble, and even his brother – Rhodri – was just a warlord who seized Dyfed's cantrefs and made them cooperate as a kingdom. _He_ was good king, though. But Rhodri had depended on his daughter ruling after he died, not his brother." Yet another grape floated into his mouth.

_One_ day, Merlin would stop doing this out of habit, or instinct.

But until then…

"Now, _that_ story I know," Merlin said, somewhat-smugly, as they ventured back into territory he knew.

"Oh?" Arthur asked, amused, as yet another grape floated into his mouth. One day…

"The Lost Princess of Dyfed," Merlin said. "Fell in love with some lord who then ran off with a kitchen girl during the last civil wars in Dyfed and the princess got so distraught that she ran after that lord and, depending on version, she finds him and his girl and kills them and then can't return because of that, she has the lord's child out in some backwoods – or by a river – and lives out her life as a hermit with her child, or she kills the child and wins back that lord's heart, or something like that. She's never dead, though, and usually has a child...I never got that..."

"That's because a few years after the _actual_ princess ran away, she showed up _once_ in Dyfed for her father's funeral. It was completely unofficial, but everyone knew, anyway, especially since she just left, again, instead of trying to take back the crown from her uncle. I don't know about the child, though I guess if she had one, that's when she mentioned it. And how do you know the story so well?"

"The princess's name is _Hunith_," Merlin said, and understanding passed over Arthur's face. "Back in Ealdor, whenever someone told that story, they always roped my mother into the act – especially since she apparently has the same hair as the princess, or something like that."

Arthur smirked, and yet another grape flew into his mouth. Biting and swallowing it, he said, "That must've been…fun…"

"Yeah," Merlin said, fondly, childhood memories returning momentarily. "She used to find it absolutely hilarious. Even had this whole princess act for when she did the story – walked like a princess, talked like one, all that. Flawless, too."

"Maybe she can join that Thespian troupe making its way around Camelot," Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

Now Merlin laughed. "I'm sure she'd… actually, I think she'd hate it. She's shy and all that, yeah? Doesn't like people paying attention to her."

"I always did think her walk was a little _too_ graceful, at times," Arthur mused. Merlin couldn't tell if his tone was mocking or not.

"I got her to show _me_ that act, once, the walking bit," Merlin said. "And because she was insane and kept around a lot of books, I could actually talk like that, too. I ended up playing the lord, or king, usually, when we did."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Keeping so many books around isn't a bad thing. As you said – she taught your whole village to read, with them!"

Merlin glared. Since when was Arthur on his mother's side?

"Yeah, she did. But _especially_ me. I don't know why she found it so funny, but it was hilarious to her that I caught on, so fast."

"She probably figured out you were using magic, too-"

"I don't use magic in archery!" Merlin yelped.

He going to add 'get Arthur to admit he was just better than him at archery' on his list of Things That Would Happen One Day.

Arthur glared, before shaking his head, apparently deciding to drop it, for now. "So you can walk like a prince, talk like a prince – apparently you don't want to, though…and you can _almost_ read as well as one-"

"Give it a few months and I'll be smarter than _you_," Merlin muttered under his breath.

"-and you're getting an education which, really, is generally only reserved for princes-"

"-I'm _living_ with your old tutor!"

"-and if I didn't know any better, I would start worrying that you were plotting to replace me or something," Arthur finished with a victorious smile.

Merlin snorted. "I don't have the royal prattishness, arrogance-"

"_Watch_ it."

"-stupidity, lack of self-preservation-"

"You're one to talk!" Arthur yelled, launching himself at Merlin, pinning him to the bed and straddling him, pinning his wrists above his head. "_You_ are the idiot who came to Camelot with _magic_, and _you_ are the idiot who drank from the poisoned cup-"

"That was to protect you!"

"It's my job to protect _you_!"

Merlin heard the door open, and Arthur groaned as Merlin smirked up at him. He'd locked the door, and Arthur had the best locks in the castle on his door, so the only person who'd be able to get in would be someone with magic, like Merlin…

…or Morgana.

"Am I interrupting something?" Morgana asked pleasantly, and Merlin craned his neck up to smile at her from beneath Arthur.

Gwen slipped in a moment later, and her eyes widened when she saw Merlin and Arthur.

"Oh, sorry!" she said, blushing furiously. "We'll just-"

"It's all right, Gwen," Merlin said, using that borderline-magic-but-not-quite skill he's been developing to slip his wrists out of Arthur's grasp, and he crossed his arms as Arthur sat up, though didn't dislodge from Merlin's hips. "We were fighting."

"Well," Morgana said, smirking, as Gwen closed the door behind her and Morgana, and she leaned against the table. "Please, do continue… _fighting_."

Arthur rolled his eyes at her – and rolled himself off Merlin – and said, "Not a chance, you voyeuristic tart."

Morgana gave a purposefully-overdramatic, put-upon sigh, before seating herself in Arthur's chair – and Arthur managed to only wince and his hands only twitched, at that, which was progress in Merlin's mind – and she levitated some fruit in her and Gwen's hands.

"So what brings you here?" Arthur asked, as Merlin sat himself up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Immediately, all good humor drained from Morgana's voice.

"I was taking a nap, and had a vision," she said. "It was hazy, very unclear, but you two were apart for some reason."

Merlin frowned, and Arthur sat up, suddenly alert.

"Apart?" he asked. "War? Kidnapping? Is one of us ridiculously unconscious or something-"

But Morgana was shaking her head. "Just _physically_ apart. You're still…I don't know…together? Bonded? And you're both perfectly fine…Merlin's just…not _here_."

Now Arthur's frown deepened. "Us being apart yet being perfectly fine? That doesn't make any sense!"

Arthur could have his unwittingly sweet moments, few and far in between as they were.

"Could you feel if this dream was literal or symbolic?" Merlin asked.

Morgana sighed. "I couldn't feel if it was symbolic or literal…but you were wearing a crown of some kind, so I would have to guess it was symbolic."

"Then maybe I'm still here," Merlin ventured. "Erm… maybe a bad fight? I'd stay away from him and still look after him."

"Mm," Morgana said. "Perhaps… you were riding away on a white horse – though I suppose that could have just been Tempest, unless that was symbolic, too – and you were wearing a crown, and you were riding with several other nobles, too."

Arthur and Merlin's frowns deepened as they looked at each other. "Maybe," Arthur ventured carefully. "You finally take up that offer from Mordred and Siorus-"

"I'm not going to leave you for the Druids!" Merlin cried out, exasperated. He was adding _this_ to the list of things to make Arthur realize one day, as well.

"Well how else do you explain a dream where _you_ wearing a crown and riding off with a bunch of other nobles means something?"

"I don't _think_ it was the Druids," Morgana said, frowning at the fruit in her hand as Gwen held her other hand tightly. "Though to be honest, it was all somewhat confusing – I can never get a clear vision when Merlin's in it. But the nobility looked like normal nobility… though if Merlin were with them and it was supposed to mean something, maybe it's particularly powerful Druids or something…"

Arthur sighed in frustration. "Was he leaving willingly?"

"I don't know! He wasn't being dragged away, but…"

"Morgana-"

"I couldn't tell – it was too vague. I was just seeing this, there wasn't much emotional background like normal," she said, equally frustrated as her brother.

"Well," Merlin said, slowly, pondering the merits of sounding as flummoxed as the others versus sounding like he knew what he was doing. "The vaguer Morgana's visions are, the more likely they are to actually happen and not just be a possibility… so if this is definitive-"

"You leaving is _definitive_?" Arthur said, glaring at Merlin. He seemed to like the idea less than Merlin…which was _really_ saying something.

"If Merlin's willingness isn't clear," Gwen suggested. "Perhaps he wants to stay, but simply _has_ to go?"

"Maybe Uther's going to find out about my magic," Merlin offered rather unwillingly. "That's one of the only things I can think of, off the top of my head, where I would leave willingly. And how I'm still bonded with Arthur – I'm sure even in exile I would still be watching over the prat."

"And that crown?" Morgana asked. "And you were riding a white horse, and as this isn't a literal dream, I don't think it was Tempest, so it has to mean something…and the nobility – I still can't understand that!"

"Maybe Merlin leaves with the powerful Druids when he has to go for some reason…?" Gwen suggested. She'd become quite good at interpreting Morgana's dreams. And more often than not, Merlin wished she weren't, so he could have an easier time believing she was wrong.

"So you're saying that Merlin's magic being discovered and having to leave Camelot with a bunch of Druids is _going_ to happen?" Arthur growled, only barely hiding the panic in his voice at the thought.

"Only more _likely_ than if her dream were clear, sire," Gwen said. "The vaguer her dreams, the more likely they are to _somehow_ happen. But with her symbolic dreams, we have been wrong just as often as we have been right. It could mean something else entirely, or even be literal-"

"Somehow, I doubt that," Merlin said, sardonically.

"Perhaps a combination?" Gwen said. "Dreams involving you usually are only half…so the two halves could mean two different things entirely."

"So…it _isn__'__t_ definitive?"

At the hopeful tone of Arthur's voice, Merlin grabbed Arthur's hand and squeezed. Arthur didn't look back, keeping his eyes locked with Morgana, but he squeezed back, and let go obligingly.

"So, we can't really figure out what's going to happen," Merlin said. "We know I'm leaving, but Arthur will still be fine. I gain _some_ kind of power, but I have to leave for it. The rest is all guesswork."

As a moment of silence followed, Merlin continued. "Then thinking about this anymore is pointless and will only make this one" - He jerked a thumb at Arthur. - "more nervous, and then _I_ would have to deal with him, so we best just forget about it for now and wait and see-"

"You're going to be _leaving_, Merlin. Excuse me for having trouble forgetting about it!" Arthur said. Merlin rubbed a thumb across the back of his hand again, and Arthur sighed, probably remembering past experiences where this type of guesswork would be absolutely pointless at best, and nerve wracking at worst. Turning to Morgana, he blankly asked, changing the subject, "What were you doing sleeping in the middle of the day, anyway?"

Never let it be said that Arthur was subtle.

"I had a headache from practicing my scrying," Morgana said, rolling her eyes. Merlin frowned.

"Really? You've gotten so good, you shouldn't be-"

"I was practicing with glass, not water," she said. "It worked, though – I managed to see into the chambers of some lord a few floors below us, and it was just a few maids cleaning it but the detail I managed to see…"

As he and Morgana started chatting about scrying, Merlin felt Arthur slip his arm around Merlin's waist and pull him close.

He did nothing but lean into Arthur's touch, and wondered which of them would need it more.

* * *

Much, much later, after Uther's official announcement which, for Merlin, mostly consisted of standing there and trying not to appeared to deadened by boredom, and a private dinner between Uther and Arthur as they discussed the best terms to negotiate with the Dyfed king – they really didn't think too highly of the man – and trying not to appeared deadened by the boredom, Merlin found himself with Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana in Gaius's chambers yet again.

"I'm sure the entire castle thinks we're involved in some four-person bedding of debauchery," Morgana said blithely after Arthur's hissed warning when she just strode into the chambers. "Some visits to Merlin and Gaius in the late evening shouldn't really affect the people's opinions of us."

"Gaius isn't here," Merlin said, dully, as he magically pulled some seats closer for them. "He and my mother are out trying to give some supplies to the town physicians."

Morgana rolled her eyes and Gwen locked the door, before seating herself in front of the fireplace with a dress to mend, while Arthur continued scribbling notes across the parchment in his lap. Or pretending to, anyway – Merlin knew he liked to watch the magic he and Morgana practiced.

Merlin could tell namely because within a few candlemarks, whilst he and Morgana had spent the entire time trying to puzzle out how to conjure up mirrors in frames with a good amount of ornate detail – like proper craftsmanship, and they managed some basic, but solid, face mirrors by the end of it – Arthur had gotten extraordinarily little of his work done. He'd probably offer it up to Merlin's mother as yet another 'teaching experience' which would result in Merlin doing all the work for him-

All four's eyes widened when they heard the door move, and Merlin and Morgana quickly dropped the flames of magic just as the door opened, having lots of practice in emergency canceling of magic. One did not survive long in Uther's kingdom, otherwise.

They relaxed, though, when Gaius and his mother came through the door.

"You're back early," Merlin half-said, half-asked bluntly.

"We met Gladys along the way, and the path to her home is longest," Hunith said, setting down the empty basket. Taking in Gwen and Arthur's busy hands and Merlin and Morgana seated across from each other before the fireplace, she added, "Practicing?" as Gaius closed the door behind them.

In response, Merlin and Morgana both conjured up small, but detailed, handmirrors in their palms. Hunith grinned in delight, while Gaius rolled his eyes and set about reordering the supply he'd gotten in return from the townsfolk.

"How were the rounds?" Merlin asked absently, as he and Morgana turned back to their mirrors, concentrating on detailing the detail. She was getting much better at it than him. He wondered if it was because her magic was just naturally inclined towards that, or if it was just because she was a girl.

Not that he'd ever tell her he thought that, or anything like that. He made that mistake once when she was trying to fit a knife in her bosom without it slipping down her dress, and, well…he was _not_ eager to repeat that mistake. Ever.

His manhood and privates thanked him for it.

"They were fine," Hunith said. "Getting cold – it will start to snow, soon, and the illnesses soon after."

Merlin nodded, and Gaius said, "And that announcement – was it on the new crop rotation I've been hearing rumors about?"

"Those were just that, Gaius, rumors," Arthur said. "But no. A foreign king – Roderick of Dyfed – will be coming to Camelot to reestablish the army treaties."

"Within the week," Merlin added sullenly. "Which means our choreload is about to skyrocket, which means-"

_CRASH_

They all looked over to see Hunith, pale, staring at her feet, where a jar of leaves had smashed against the floor.

"Mother," Merlin said, jumping up immediately. "Are you all right?"

Slowly, Hunith nodded, shutting her eyes for a moment, and saying, "Fix that for me, will you, Merlin?"

As the others all looked on in concern, Merlin's eyes flashed and the pot was back on the table, fully repaired, the leaves inside them.

Merlin never took his eyes off his mother. "Are you all right?"

After a moment, she snapped up, blood draining back into her face as she said, "I'm _fine_, Merlin," using that imperial tone which Merlin knew for a fact could make _Arthur_ double-take when she tried. "Just some dropped pots."

"Are you sure-"

"Merlin!" She shook her head fondly, and Merlin relented, if somewhat suspiciously, and turned back to Morgana and the mirrors, keeping an ear out for his mother and his eyes on the mirror.

Which was why he missed the terrified glance she and Gaius traded.

* * *

**A/N:**** Okay, yeah, I had a bit too much fun with sugardaddy!Arthur, as well. ^_^**


	3. In So Few Words

**Lineage - Chapter 02: In So Few Words**

**A/N:** It's _baaaaaack_! :)

1.) This story is still a **post-S1 AU, but draws heavily on elements of S2 and S3** (basically all the events of those seasons, minus the evil!Morgana and Arthur/Gwen story archs, and compressed into one year)

2.) **In light of Merlin's father's identity being revealed**, ignore the references to Merlin's father in the previous two chapters until I go back and edit them. The issues with Merlin's father are basically starting from scratch in this one, with the exception of an incubus being _somehow_ involved, leaving Merlin still a cambion (for no other reason than because it's fun - so if you don't get it, don't worry, it's not all that relevant to the story).

* * *

Arthur was sitting at the table examining the latest border reports when he heard it, two people approaching his rooms arguing.

"…sure you're all right?"

"I'm _fine_, Merlin!"

"You've been jumpy all week, and skittish, and you look nervous-"

"Merlin!"

Arthur rolled his eyes just – as the door opened and his manservant and his manservant's mother walked in.

As usual, Merlin shut it immediately, and Arthur said, "And you call _me_ overprotective?"

Merlin scowled, as Hunith smiled gratefully. She carried a basket of laundry over to his bed while Merlin set down Arthur's lunch tray as he said, "I'm just being concerned for my mother!"

"Merlin, I used to be the village healer, myself, and I learned under Gaius, as well – I think I can look after my own health!"

"This isn't just about your health, Mother, you've been jumpy all week and pale and you have barely eaten anything-"

"Merlin!"

Merlin's mouth snapped shut at his mother's particularly firm tone.

Arthur sincerely wished he could do that. This was a strange skill which, as far as he could see, only mothers could possess.

Though it was rather frightening, too – Hunith made it work on _him_, sometimes, and he was the Crown Prince, damnit! He should be impervious to mothers.

(Though in his own head he could concede that maybe he just didn't want to be impervious to mothers. But only in his own head. And talking to Merlin. Which might as well be in his own head, anyway, and so it didn't count.)

"I am an aging woman, Merlin, having dips in my health is nothing that unusual," she said with a tone of exasperation, and Arthur got the feeling they'd been arguing about this since they retrieved the food and laundry from the service wings of the castle.

"Yes, yes, but that still means that whatever this is, it should be treated, taken care of!"

"I can take care of myself, Merlin," she said. "This is nothing that some yarrow and mint cannot fix."

"Are you even old enough for that?"

Arthur snorted and Hunith shook her head at her son's idiocy.

"I commend you for putting up with him as a servant," she said to Arthur.

"And I feel you should be awarded knighthood for having him as a son!"

Merlin scowled at both of them as the laundry started floating up and folding itself into Arthur's wardrobe of its own accord.

Arthur took a look at Hunith and said, "Though I can't blame him – are you sure you are all right? You may call yourself an aging woman, but you are not that old - he is right to worry."

She nodded with a wan smile. "Like I said, I can look after myself."

Arthur nodded. "Take care of yourself well…Merlin would be insufferable if something untoward were to happen to you."

They shared a grin as Merlin threw his hands up into the air and muttered about 'princes and mothers ganging up on him' and went to go polish the armor sitting on the table by Arthur's door, running his fingers over it while muttering under his breath.

Hunith left soon after, though.

"Really, Merlin, your mother is a strong woman," Arthur said, watching Merlin turn over his armor in midair, inspecting each piece of it as it was polished. "I get the feeling underestimating her is a bad idea."

"You have no idea," Merlin said. "But honestly, I have every right to be concerned for her – she's my mother, I'm supposed to look after her!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Come on, I have to go hunting with Lord Haul of Rhos."

"…I have to come along, don't I?" Merlin asked, dully.

Arthur just grinned.

* * *

The hunting went well, of course, despite Merlin's attempts otherwise. That Haul man was, unsurprisingly, honey-sweet to Arthur, and a twat to Merlin, and the prince and sorcerer shared a few eyerolls and snickers at his blatant arse-kissing, and otherwise focused on the hunt.

During a brief respite, in which the nobles were all waiting leisurely for the hounds to catch the scent of something interesting, Arthur and Merlin managed a moment somewhat-alone, or at least well away from the others.

"I wonder what it says about me that I'm actually _bored_, now, with hunting for normal animals," Merlin said. "Ones without magic. I think you're a bad influence on me."

Arthur laughed.

"And you say you hate hunting."

"This isn't hunting, this is waiting around for stupid nobles to shoot something besides their own foot," Merlin said. He stuck out his tongue at Arthur, just as Haul came up.

Arthur turned back to Merlin to shoot him a look that conveyed just how much he detested the man, before turning his big, charming smile on. "Ah, Lord Haul! Enjoying the hunt?"

The stuffy lord grinned, slick with false sugar, and said, "Quite, sire, quite."

He pulled Arthur into a conversation about the habits of local game, and Merlin wandered off to where some of the other knights had also managed to escape the visiting nobles.

"The prince getting his ear talked off, then?" Leon asked.

"Yeah," Merlin said, re-shouldering the bag with the supplies in it. "There are very few times where I enjoy being 'just the servant' – this, however, is one of them."

One of the other knights laughed, and Merlin just smiled benignly, before blanking his expression as Lord Haul and Arthur came near.

"Still nothing?" Arthur asked the knights as he gestured vaguely in the direction the hounds were set off.

"No, sire," Leon said.

"Any other tracks?" Arthur asked. He gestured towards Camelot, and all the knights knew the meaning was clear - are enough of the nobles looking tired enough to call it a day and go back?

The knights regretfully shook their heads.

Leon, however, looked at the two other men behind Haul, and said, "Perhaps a lunch break is in order for us all while we wait for the hounds? Sire?"

Before Haul could say anything, Arthur smiled and nodded. "Brilliant idea!"

All the men sat on various stumps and parts of the floor and started bringing out their lunch rations. Merlin frowned when Lord Haul's attendant had only a chunk of bread, and quickly offered him some of his dried fruits. Arthur, in turn, shoved a sweetmeat at him without even looking at him, but with a quick squeeze to his hand before letting go.

"A very excellent day, sire, I must thank you again for bringing us out here," Haul said. Behind all the nobles, Sir Owen made some gagging motions before joining the circle of seated men.

"Our honor and pleasure," Arthur assured him. "Hunting is one of the noblest of sports."

Merlin didn't even bother trying to hide his eye roll. Several of the knights smirked with him. Arthur had made his thoughts on hunting with uninterested nobles very clear when it was just him and his knights (and Merlin). He was prone to ranting rages like that, and the end shot of it was that it could not be called a sport with unsporting nobles involved.

Merlin had smirked at him and asked Arthur if that included him, and Arthur had shoved him off with a swat to the head as the other knights had laughed, and then Haul had come in and off they went.

Even Merlin could empathize. But then, this hunt wasn't for hunting.

They chatted, and Merlin paid attention to when Arthur sharpened, slightly, and then paid attention to what the nobles were saying. Trade routes – Merlin wondered how this was important to Arthur. Taxes? Soldiers? Commoners? Oh, right, something about taxes and soldiers and commoners.

He was so glad that politics weren't his problem.

Soon enough, the hunt started up properly again, and as Merlin wandered alongside Arthur, he smirked and asked, "Having fun?"

Arthur groaned. "Stupid, stupid Haul. He's practically shouting from the rooftops that he's wringing out every last coin from the peasants on his land! He taxes them for everything and barely, if ever, gives them the help they need when they're in distress…and he has the gall to be _proud_ of how much money he can get from them!"

"Sounds like Cenred's kingdom," Merlin mutters under his breath.

"Cenred, at least, doesn't tax them endlessly, and keeps his nobles somewhat in line. Dyfed, though…King Roderick might as well not even be there – he does nothing, nothing!"

Arthur continued to rant on and on about the nobles, and Merlin, smirking somewhat, thought against how _really_ glad he was that politics weren't his problem.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" Merlin asked instead. That was what these hunts were _really_ for – figure out what was happening among the nobles and see how it could be manipulated for Camelot's advantage.

"The entire kingdom is on the verge of destabilization if their in-fighting and border security is anything to go by," Arthur said. "It's too far from Camelot's borders for us to gain any land, but perhaps we can reap other benefits from it, instead."

"…is it really that bad?" Merlin asked, as he clambered over a long while Arthur ducked under it.

"Yes," Arthur said, and sharply pulled Merlin away from the direction of the rest of the hunt.

Quickly enough, they found a stony, tree-bound niche they regularly stole away to for a few private moments now and again on hunts.

It was a hollowed-out tree right up against a small wall of rock and stone, big enough for the two of them to wrap themselves around each other and share warm bodies and warm lips, as Merlin kissed away Arthur's worries.

"You'll fix it," Merlin promised. "Save all those people."

"It's not even my kingdom," Arthur said, his face pressed into the curve of Merlin's neck, Merlin leaning his cheek against Arthur's hair as Arthur's breath warmed his shoulder. "And it's just…how can any man so easily abuse that kind of power over such helpless people? It can't be human."

Unfortunately, it was, and so Merlin gently stroked Arthur's hair and not-so-gently kissed all his worries away, and for the next few moments, they stayed like that, just the two of them in this hollowed out tree, sheltered by the very earth from the rest of the world, stone at Merlin's back and the wind above them rustling through the leaves, the trees quietly whispering their reassurances to their king.

The frantic pressure of simple touch gave way to Arthur leaning into Merlin, pressing his face into Merlin's neck as their chests pressed together tightly, and Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur.

"It's a lot of work," Merlin admitted. "But you'll be a great king, and then you can fix all of Albion and keep it all in shape. And besides, you know I'll help you."

Arthur laughed. "That might be what I'm worried about. You have a tendency to cock things up all the time."

Merlin pressed his lips to Arthur's head. "Then you can fix that, too. Give you something else to worry about and take your mind off things."

He felt Arthur nip his neck.

"Yes, I think that will be useful," Merlin said.

A bite.

"Oh, please, you know it'll help," Merlin added.

A lick.

"You're welcome," he said wryly.

He could feel Arthur's smile against his neck.

Arthur huffed, warm breath traveling across Merlin's shoulder, under his jacket, and down his spine, soon followed by Arthur returning Merlin's embrace, before regretfully murmuring into Merlin's ear, "We have to go before they come looking for us."

"Leon might keep them away," Merlin said, enjoying the warmth of Arthur's breath and lips across his ear.

"Even he can't keep that arsekisser Haul away from me for long. If he really thinks he stands a chance of being allied to Camelot, then he is as stupid as he is cruel, which is _really_ saying something."

Merlin shook his head with a soft laugh. "Don't worry. He'll have something else coming to him once you're king." A quick press of the lips to Arthur's nose. "Now come on, you can at least hunt like the overgrown puppy you are and make him look like an idiot."

Arthur kissed Merlin, grinning at the thought, before pulling away in assent. "Come on, help me catch dinner."

* * *

It was a very good dinner, hence why that night, Merlin found himself standing besides Gwen in the private banquet hall as Arthur, Morgana, Uther, and King Roderick enjoyed their dinner of the buck Arthur had killed before Haul had even arrived at the scene.

_Is Arthur still bragging about that stupid stag?_ Merlin asked Morgana mentally as he poured Uther's wine.

_Yes,_ she said, taking a dainty, lady-like bite of the venison. _I can feel his smugness rolling off him in waves. The moment dinner is over, he's your problem._

Merlin smiled at her from behind Roderick as he poured the visiting king's wine.

When he was standing besides Gwen, well away from the two kings and facing Morgana and Arthur, he smirked at the lady and, focusing his magic and mind carefully, sent her the mental image of him and Arthur feeding each other bits of venison, showing her the night that he had carefully planned since that afternoon.

Morgana showed no outward reacting, but did obligingly send back a similar vision of her feeding Gwen, except with not just venison but a whole dinner, including sauces and wine, with hopes of messing up Gwen enough to make her take off the dress and lick her clean with her tongue.

"I hope you're not too attached to that dress," Merlin muttered to Gwen, who only shook her head in amusement as Merlin, winking at Arthur, started another round of his competing with Morgana to see who could come up with the filthiest fantasy without ever showing an outward reaction.

Gwen and Arthur usually found their recounts of it amusing, and seemed to enjoy the more amorous results all the same, come nighttime.

Arthur, seeing Merlin and Morgana's faces of careful blankness and subtle concentration, gestured Merlin over for more wine.

"During a state dinner, Merlin?" Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear, barely audible over the two kings loudly discussing the merits of the new trade relationship between Cenred and Bayard.

"She started it," Merlin whispered. "Besides, I think you will enjoy it tonight. Venison. Wine. Sauce. Mess, lots of mess, in places only a tongue can reach."

"Don't steal my ideas, Merlin," Morgana said quietly, gesturing to her own goblet.

Merlin poured her wine as he sent back a fantasy including a hot bath, oils, two scarves, and Arthur begging. Especially the bath and the begging.

Gwen nearly glared at Morgana when she saw Merlin's blush on his way back to her side.

"I _really_ hope you're not attached to that dress," he said, as Morgana finished off her shot. "Or that flower in your hair."

Bewildered, Gwen touched the large wildflower in her hair that Morgana had given her, before asking, "Do I want to know?"

"You'll find out," Merlin said cheerfully, as he took his turn and sent Morgana a dream with the hilt of a knife, some thin leather cords, and a half-dozen rings involved.

Morgana had nearly choked on her venison and had to quickly drain half her goblet of wine, instead, and Merlin grinned at both the nobles smugly in victory.

"You won, then?" Gwen said, to Merlin's quick, cheerful nod.

He went a few moments later to apparently pour her more wine as she muttered, "I will win next time."

"Of course, milady," he muttered.

"You're both incorrigible," Arthur muttered, not bothering to hide the innuendo from his voice.

Before Merlin could retort, he heard a loud coughing sound from Roderick across from him.

"Are you all right, milord?" Morgana asked politely, as Roderick continued coughing into some napkin of his.

"Yes, yes, Lady Morgana," the man said, setting down the napkin as the coughs subsided. "One of the follies of old age, I assure you."

"Come, now, you aren't that old," Morgana offered in perfect lady-like reassurance.

Roderick laughed. "Thank you, Lady Morgana, but there is no need for such white lies when we are in private company. It is an illness common in my family – it is what my brother died of."

"King Rhodri?" Arthur asked. "The same illness?"

"Yes," Roderick said sadly, taking another bite of the venison.

"This boy here, Merlin-" Uther said, gesturing at Merlin. "-Is apprenticed to the Court Physician, Gaius. Perhaps they can see if there are any cures?"

Roderick laughed. "Gaius already treated my brother two decades ago – and prolonged his life quite a bit, the same treatment which I use now. He has our House's gratitude and is always welcome in Dyfed for his service."

Merlin smiled proudly as he said, "I'm sure he'd be willing to take another look, sire."

He felt a tap at this side that felt alarmingly like Morgana's elbow at the same time that Uther gave him a sharp, exasperated look. Oh, right, don't talk directly to nobility unless directly spoken to, and especially don't make promises – they could use it against you.

Damnit.

But Rhodri seemed like a nice enough man. And all he had promised was for Gaius to take another look, which he knew his uncle would.

"I am not one to deny my age," Roderick said. A brief glance at Uther had Arthur tensing, and Merlin fought the urge to roll his eyes. Most old people didn't want to think they were old – Roderick was the exception, not the norm. Uther was the extreme of the norm.

His mother popped into his mind, and vanished just as fast as he paid attention again to what Roderick was saying while walking back to Gwen's side, behind Uther.

"…that point in life where everyone reminds you of someone else," he said.

"Oh?" Morgana asked. "Who do we remind you of, then?"

Roderick smiled, apparently ignoring Uther's calculative glare. An old man admitting he's old must mean something to another old man, but Merlin wouldn't know. He liked his youth and vitality, thanks!

"You, Prince Arthur, remind me of my brother, actually – a good leader, warrior, and an honorable man." Roderick sighed a little sadly at that. "Lady Morgana, well…you rather remind me of my niece."

That perked up their attentions.

"The Lost Princess?" Morgana asked curiously.

Roderick nodded. "She, too, had a tendency for flaunting the rules and court protocols – she spent a better part of her youth putting gray hairs on her father's head by sneaking about the kingdom dressed as a commoner!"

Morgana grinned. She did the same, now and then, after all.

Roderick shook his head fondly, reminiscently. "Even that manservant of yours, Prince Arthur, brings back memories."

Merlin stared in surprised, before looking down himself, then at Gwen, in confusion, who was looking at him, along with everyone else, in similar sentiment.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"Not exactly," Roderick said. Merlin blinked in surprise when he realized the man was staring at his neck. "Those neckerchiefs of his are nearly identical to ones my brother used to wear."

Merlin grinned at Arthur, who, unseen by anyone else, rolled his eyes. Someone saw how fashionable and useful these were – and a king, no less!

Uther was just shaking his head amusedly as he turned back to his meal.

Morgana asked King Roderick, "I have been meaning to ask about…The Lost Princess? Princess Hunith?"

As always, it was rather odd to hear his mother's name like this. But maybe it would be better gossip on the legend. If mother ever went back to Ealdor they would have new versions of the theatrics to play around with. He smiled at the thought.

"I'm sure you've heard all the stories about her," Morgana continued. "We have all been hoping to learn a little more."

"Ah, yes…I always am asked of that," Roderick said, with a mournful sigh.

"If the memories are too painful-"

"No, no, Lady, though thank you," Roderick said. "It has been a long time." A pause. "Well…there was a night of passion with a lord, from another kingdom I believe. And there was a child."

Uther, especially, perked up at this, but Roderick shook his head. "The child is likely not alive – my brother did not share too many details, but I know there was something wrong with the child at birth, very sickly. Some servants report the princess was being seen by the physician every day leading up to her disappearance – I have no doubt it was the child being seen."

"Poor princess," Gwen said whispered in Merlin's ear. "Her lover and child dying so soon."

"Is that why she fled?" Arthur asked at the table.

Roderick shook his head.

"That was at her father's bequest – the nobles around her would have killed her, one way or another. She would not have lasted long as queen, especially with an heir of her own, with the climate as it was. She wanted to stay, but her father convinced her to leave. Had the father of the child lived – I am not entirely sure who that was, either – then it may not have happened. As it was, he was a knight and died in battle at some point, I know that much."

"They were quite secretive about all this, weren't they?" Arthur asked.

"Of course they were," Merlin muttered to Gwen, leaning in so he could keep his voice low. "What do they expect her to do, parade her son around the streets with a target on his head?"

"Merlin, that's _morbid_!" Gwen with a reluctant giggle.

"Yes," Roderick said. "My brother was very intent on protecting my niece…he didn't even tell me much of this when I returned from my own travels when he grew ill." He seemed rather sad about that. Merlin didn't blame him.

"Rhodri seems a bit of a prick," Merlin murmured to Gwen. "Sent his brother away, then his daughter, and left his people at the mercy of a cruel nobility."

"He cared about his family," Gwen quietly argued.

"Too much," Merlin muttered.

"Do you have any knowledge about the Princess's whereabouts?" Uther asked.

"I wish," Roderick said. "Things have changed – the crown would fit her well, now. But she has not returned. I still hold hope, though, however feeble it may be."

_We've noticed,_ Morgana thought at him dryly. _He's still technically the regent, idiot. He probably could have saved himself a lot of trouble by just taking the crown fully. By now no one would have stopped him._

_He needs hope, something to hold on to,_ Merlin thought back. _People will take what they can get._

_Not at the cost of his people._

And that, Merlin couldn't argue against, so he didn't.

* * *

Hunith took a deep breath as she left the relative safety of Gaius's chambers that afternoon. She wondered if this was how Merlin and Morgana felt after practicing magic in there.

Clutching her laundry close to her chest, she counted on every skill wrought from being the daughter of a great king and the mother of a great warlock to keep up her appearance of calm as she walked through the corridors.

Just a few more days. A few more days, and her guilt would leave her, her uncle's abominably aged features and sad eyes would stop haunting her, and she could go back to the relative peace of her daily life in Camelot.

…though with Merlin for a son, she supposed it wasn't particularly peaceful. Especially since somewhere along the way, Arthur, Guinevere, and even Morgana had all fallen under her wing, looking up to her as a mother to replace the loss of their own. Out of the four of them, Merlin was the one opposite to them – where they all lost their mothers early and knew only their fathers, he was the other way around.

She almost wished Merlin could have found a father figure in Uther, the only one left alive besides her.

But then she would remember – as much as she could admire Uther for the way he cared for even the lower people, the simple peasants and townspeople that most kings ignored, that didn't change the fact he was just as favoring towards the rich and the higher classes as the most pretentious nobles of Dyfed had been, and that he would butcher innocent people, innocent children, for being born with magic.

It was a wonder how Merlin could defend the man. She remembered a jarring memory of coming to the king's chambers to collect the linens for laundry, and sharing a few jokes with the king while watching the mayhem their sons were causing together down in the stables, only to have to leave hastily moments later as Uther commented on the execution of an old woman later the next day, caught using magic to help the crops in her village.

Luckily for Hunith, the old woman was gone by that night. Arthur and Merlin had seemed particularly pleased with themselves about this one.

She shook her head, chasing away these maudlin thoughts. She needed to focus – just a few more days. She could go back to her un-royal, un-noble, much simpler life, if she could go a few more days without anyone finding her out.

It wasn't exactly a comforting thought, but while she was no longer royalty, she was still the daughter of King Rhodri the Great, and she's fared much better when she had tasks to focus on and things to _do_. It was how her father had attained the throne, and that was how she'd been raised to bear the crown, and that was how she had raised a magical child.

That in mind, she chastised the part of her mind still worrying, and went on walking, feeling confidence seep back into her stride-

-and promptly walked into someone upon rounding the corner, falling over and dropping everything in the process.

"Oh," she said as she bent down to quickly and efficiently retrieve the sheets. A lifetime of Merlin running around underfoot has left her rather used to this sort of thing. "I'm terribly sorry, please forgive…me…sire…"

Her heart started pounding, her lungs froze up, and she could feel the blood draining from her face when she looked up to see her uncle Roderick staring back at her in shock.

She immediately ducked her head down, playing the frightened, submissive servant, stammering, "I'm s-sorry, sire, I-"

But it was too late.

Painfully familiar hands pressed against her cheeks and made her left her head to face him.

"Hunith!" he cried out in shock and recognition.

There were several noblemen behind, mostly from Camelot, who were staring at the foreign king in confusion.

And then there was one from the Dyfed delegation whose eyes widened in stunned bewilderment when he looked at her. She remembered him – Lord Dion.

"Princess," he breathed out in shock.

"No," she said, slowly, shaking her head, even as she knew it was too late. "I-I'm not who you think I am-"

"You are!" Roderick cried out, before his voice lowered to his gentle tones. "I'd know your face anywhere, Hunith, but…here…what are you…"

He looked her up and down, taking in her worn hands and commoner's garb, clearly trying and failing to understand.

When his thumb swiped over her cheek, she realized she was crying.

This couldn't be happening. After more than twenty years of successful hiding, and now this…she was so close, only a few more days and she would have been safe-!

Footsteps came down the hall, and Uther and his usual small retinue were walking down the corridor.

The king – kind to his servants, when they did no wrong – took one look at the face of his physician's (adoptive) sister and son's (most loyal) servant's mother, and asked calmly but coldly of Roderick, "What, exactly, is going on here?"

He certainly wouldn't cause a diplomatic incident over her, but he would at least be willing to warn away Roderick to give her enough time to leave the castle until the visiting king was gone.

But she knew that wouldn't happen, not this time.

"This," Roderick said, turning around while still gesturing towards her. "Is my long-lost niece…Princess Hunith."

This couldn't be happening. She hasn't been Princess Hunith in two decades – she was just Hunith, healer from Ealdor. Not…not…

Uther's eyes widened in confusion and surprise, before turning to her in confrontation.

What followed was a long, tense moment of silence.

"I think," Uther said, after a moment, sweeping his own arm in the general direction of the council chambers. "That explanations are in order."

* * *

"Merlin! Merlin!"

Merlin and Arthur turned around from where they were headed towards the hunting pups' pen, and Merlin's laughter died off as Gwen came running with panic on her face.

"Guinevere," Arthur said, sternly, catching her shoulder before she could bowl over Merlin. "Breathe – in, out. Now, tell us – what's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," she said, looking at Merlin. "It's your mother – she dropped some things in a hall and King Roderick saw her and he said recognized her or something. They ushered her into the Council Room – and she was in tears and she kept trying to deny whatever they were saying, but-"

Merlin was off like a shot, and thankfully, Arthur was right beside him. Oh, god, was it his magic? Or something else- but _what_?

They raced up the steps and through the halls of the castle, and just as they rounded the corner, Arthur grabbed Merlin's shoulder and forced him into a brisk, urgent walk, as they headed for the council chambers.

"Sire," the guards greeted, stepping aside to let them in.

At first, Merlin only saw the crowd of nobles and royals. But as they stepped aside to let Arthur through, Merlin saw his mother – seated, the only one, and tears trailing down from red, puffy eyes as she looked down into her lap where her hands were folded.

"What's going on?" Merlin yelled, leaping forward towards her.

They all stared at him, and Haul caught him by the scruff of the neck. "What's he doing here? Get-"

"Wait!"

They all turned at his mother's plea, and she swallowed carefully, shutting her eyes a moment, before opening them and turning to the nobles from Dyfed.

"This…this is Merlin…my son."

Merlin frowned in confusion, as all the nobles and the king from Dyfed gasped, staring at him in shock, the king's eyes wide as one of the nobles muttered, "Heaven above!"

Haul released him, looking stunned, and Merlin, ignoring all else for now, ran forward to his mother's side, bending and wiping away her tears with his thumb, before standing upright and asking again, "What's going on?"

She took both her hands in his and said, "Oh, Merlin, please, forgive me…"

Merlin frowned, looking around the stunned hall.

"Can…can someone please tell me what's going on?"

At his mother's squeeze on his hand, he turned back, and she said, "Merlin…King Roderick…he's my uncle."

For a moment, nothing, then realization washed over Merlin.

Cold realization. _Ice_ cold realization.

"…_what_!"

She swallowed. "Merlin…Rhodri is…_was_ my father. I'm so sorry I lied to you, but please, understand, I had no choice – I had to protect you, protect both of us, like this."

"But…but…" Merlin's eyes widened. "That would…make you…the…"

Hunith slowly nodded. "I'm the Lost Princess of Dyfed."

* * *

**A/N: Because I'm a total nerd:**

**Yarrow** was an herb used to help treat menopause during medieval times, alongside **mint** and **lavender** for helping with the symptoms that come with menopause.

**Remember, Comments are Love!**


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